Letter: Snub to an ally

Sir: Once again Turkey has been pushed to the sidelines as the European Union decides who are the favoured countries in the queue for membership ("EU snub provokes Turkey to hit back", 15 December).

Turkey has been a solid and reliable member of Nato for many years, consistently supporting the European and Western stance on numerous issues. Yet, when it looks to Europe for its economic future it receives consistently negative responses. Turkey may not yet measure up to what we believe a European Union member looks like, but they have been there for Europe when they were needed.

The European Union should give Turkey a list of requirements for membership and a timetable in which to achieve them and then accept it as a member when those requirements have been met. If not, we may witness the departure of a valuable ally to another camp.

Stephen Cox

Accrington, Lancashire